Lions Put Bucs In Free Fall

TAMPA - Just when it looked as if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season might be on the rebound, a Trent Dilfer pass was tipped and eventually intercepted by Detroit Lions safety Ron Rice with 2:12 to play.

With that, the Bucs' playoff hopes were thrown into a garbage bag and placed out by the curb of Raymond James Stadium.

The 28-25 loss to the Lions on Sunday left the Bucs closer to the NFC Central cellar than to the postseason. Tampa Bay (4-7) is two games back in the race for the final playoff berth but only one game in front of the Chicago Bears in its division.

``Anything can happen in this league, but it'd be a far cry for us. It'd be a real far cry for us,'' Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. ``When you're talking about running the table, you have to drop the eight ball, and the eight ball banked around in the pocket and didn't go down for us.''

Coming off their 10-6 playoff campaign of a year ago, the Bucs had been expected to become a Super Bowl contender this season. But in his postgame address to his team Sunday, Coach Tony Dungy had more modest goals for the final six games. He talked about winning in Chicago for the first time since 1989 and ending a six-game losing streak against Green Bay.

It has come to this for the Bucs: They are playing for pride.

``Things haven't gone our way like last year. We've had injuries and this and that,'' Bucs receiver Reidel Anthony said. ``It's weird. I've never been on this side of the totem poll with nothing going our way.''

The Bucs had a lot on their minds besides football. Middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson, called the heart and soul of the team's defense, watched the game from his hospital bed at St. Joseph's Hospital where he is recovering from pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. Receiver Karl Williams flew home to Dallas on Saturday night after learning that his father had lost his battle with cancer. And receiver Bert Emanuel spent the night at the hospital, where his wife, Teri, gave birth to the couple's third daughter a little before 6 a.m. Sunday.

``It just brings you back to reality that football is not everything,'' Bucs left guard Jorge Diaz said. ``There are more important things in life.''

Still, the Bucs had their hearts set on saving their season. Before an announced crowd of 64,265, Tampa Bay rallied from a 14-point deficit to get within 11 yards of its fourth fourth-quarter comeback.

In six plays, the Bucs drove from their own 31 to the Detroit 11, where they faced a third-and-6. Dilfer saw rookie receiver Jacquez Green flash across the middle, but defensive lineman Mike Chalenski grazed the ball at the line of scrimmage, forcing Green to reach behind him. Green tipped the ball to the back of the end zone, where Rice was waiting with open arms.

``I make a throw that's going to hit him right in the numbers,'' said Dilfer, who was 16-of-30 for 283 yards with two touchdowns and two deflected interceptions. ``A guy comes in and makes a great play getting a hand on the ball, and it goes to their safety. It's very disheartening.''

After holding their first seven opponents under 300 yards of total offense, the Bucs have allowed four consecutive 300-yard games. Tampa Bay has allowed an average of 28 points and 341.8 yards in the past four games.

In consecutive weeks, the Bucs have turned Steve McNair, Fred Taylor and Ron Rivers into heroes. While holding Barry Sanders to 66 yards on 21 carries, Tampa Bay allowed Rivers to go 36 yards - doubling his season output - for a touchdown on his only carry.

``That's pretty much our season right there,'' Sapp said. ``We contain a back and contain a back and then, boom, there goes a play, and that play seems to come back and haunt us.''